Fred Olsen Cruise Lines ‘Welcome Back’ Cruise Programme – On Sale Now
Finally after a tough year for all of us we can see the first steps to a return to cruises from the UK. Fred Olsen Cruise Lines are now on sale on for a selection of UK Cruises of between 3 and 7 nights on their two newest ships ‘Borealis’ and ‘Bolette’ plus the familiar ‘Balmoral’ These cruises are scheduled to operate from the beginning of July through to the end of August 2021.
This is the most positive news in the UK cruise industry since the current Covid-19 pandemic started, but obviously on these test cruises strict protocols will be in force for the safety and wellness of guests and crew as well as loved ones.
All of these cruises will be sold as ‘Freedom Fares’ meaning that you are able to choose your staterooms, restaurant & dining time plus there will be up to £100 per person of On Board Spend dependant on itinerary chosen.
These cruises can be booked with a 15% deposit.
For more information or to book please call 01388 767 222 or email reservations@cruise365.com
Below we are sharing what we know and will update as we find out more:
Where and when will the ‘Welcome Back’ Cruises operate:
Borealis will operate 6 sailings from her home-port in Liverpool, Bolette will operate 3 sailings from Dover & Balmoral will operate 2 sailings from Rosyth.
Prices start from £387 pp based on an inside Stateroom
Below are the scheduled dates and itineraries for the Welcome Back Cruises
| Cruise | Nights | Sailing from |
Departure date | Itinerary | Cruise365 Prices From |
| Borealis Maiden Voyage | 3 nights | Liverpool | 05 July 2021 | Scenic Scottish Lochs & Isles | £387 |
| Borealis Scenic British Isles & Summer Wildlife | 4 nights | Liverpool | 08 July 2021 | Scenic British Isles & Scotland | £532 |
| Borealis Touring Scenic Scotland | 5 nights | Liverpool | 12 July 2021 | Scenic Scotland with stops at Invergordon & Kirkwall, Orkneys | £726 |
| Borealis Scenic Orkney & Faroe Islands | 5 nights | Liverpool | 17 July 2021 | Scenic Orkney & The Faroes | £678 |
| Borealis Touring Scenic Orkneys & Shetlands | 7 nights | Liverpool | 22 July 2021 | Scenic Orkneys & Shetlands with stops at Kirkwall, Lerwick & Belfast | £1066 |
| Balmoral Welcome Back | 3 nights | Rosyth | 28 July 2021 | Scenic Orkneys & Shetland Isles | £387 |
| Balmoral Scenic Norwegian Fjords | 5 nights | Rosyth | 31 July 2021 | Scenic Norwegian Fjords | £726 |
| Bolette Maiden Voyage | 3 nights | Dover | 16 August 2021 | Scenic Isles of Scilly & Channel Isles | £387 |
| Bolette Scenic British Isles & Summer Wildlife | 5 nights | Dover | 19 August 2021 | Scenic British Isles | £678 |
| Borealis Touring Scenic Britain | 5 nights | Liverpool | 23 August 2021 | Scenic Britain with stops at Belfast & Falmouth |
£775 |
| Bolette Touring Scenic Orkneys & Shetlands | 5 nights | Dover | 24 August 2021 | Scenic Orkneys & Shetlands with stops at Lerwick & Kirkwall | £775 |
| FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BOOK AT SPECIAL CRUISE365 PRICES PLEASE CALL 01388 767 222 |
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WELCOME BACK Q&A
Will guests be required to be fully vaccinated before being able to cruise with Fred Olsen Cruise Lines?
By the time we resume sailing in July, we know that a large proportion of UK adults will have received their vaccinations.
The vaccine is a big advancement for the travel industry, but it must be considered as part of a multi-layered approach.
The government’s Global Travel Taskforce is expected to deliver an update on 12th April, and we are awaiting further guidance from that before we confirm any final requirements with our guests, as well as any further requirements from the governments of the destinations we will be visiting.
Will guests need to be tested for Covid to be able to cruise on Fred. Olsen ships?
As we restart sailing, testing will become a requirement prior to joining any of our ships.
The government’s Global Travel Taskforce is expected to deliver an update on 12th April, and we are awaiting further guidance from that before we confirm any final requirements with our guests on timings and types of tests.
Will it be a requirement for Fred. Olsen’s crew to be vaccinated?
The health and wellbeing of our guests and crew is our number one priority.
We are investigating ways to vaccinate our crew, although vaccines are not currently
available commercially. While we are working hard to resolve this, in the meantime we will be ensuring we keep our crew and guests safe by conducting regular testing, both prior to
joining our ships and while they are on board with us.
If vaccinations do become a requirement, would this include children?
Many countries have not yet confirmed whether they will or will not require a vaccine for
cruise guests. Even if it does not become a requirement in the UK to be fully vaccinated to be able to take a cruise, it may be that some or all of the countries we visit will require it.
It is likely that if any requirements for vaccination are put in place for cruise travel by either our own government, or the destinations we visit, they will be mandatory for all, including children.
Will children be able to travel aboard Fred. Olsen ships this summer?
We are currently able to take bookings with children aboard our ships for our new sailings
this summer, and we know that so many of your customers are looking forward to taking
holidays as a family, or extended family, once again. While at present there are no restrictions in place to prevent children from travelling with us, if it does become a requirement for guests to be vaccinated before any cruise travel, or before visiting certain destinations by cruise, this requirement will be for all, including children.
If this does become a requirement and you have customers booked to travel with children
who have not been vaccinated they will, of course, be able to have a refund or transfer their
booking to another cruise in the future.
Will guests need to wear a face mask while on board?
All guests and crew will be required to follow the latest government guidance at the time of
sailing, which may include the wearing of face masks.
During our initial ‘Welcome Back’ sailings, we expect masks will need to be worn in areas of the ship where social distancing is not possible.
We understand that not everyone is able to wear a face mask on medical grounds. However, it is likely that any requirements put in place by the government for cruise travel will be mandatory for all.
insurance?
We already require all guests to have cruise specific travel insurance, including repatriation cover. Your customers will need to ensure their policy includes cover for any medical, repatriation and expenses costs as a result of a Covid diagnosis or illness during your cruise. Our recommended travel insurance provider, Holiday Extras, has updated their policy details to include cover for coronavirus. This will support your customer if they become ill during their cruise with medical assistance plus repatriation costs and accommodation for them and a companion should they need it. This new policy is available to all guests who meet Holiday Extra’s health criteria, including those aged over 70.
Anyone who is considered ‘extremely vulnerable’ as defined by the NHS must contact us
before making any new bookings.
This is so that we can arrange a call with one of our medical professionals to discuss their
requirements and whether they will be able to travel safely with us.
Unfortunately, anyone requiring supplementary oxygen, dialysis or medical ventilation
support will not be able to travel with us at this time.
When we resume sailing this summer, we will initially do so with a reduced capacity on each ship, to ensure plenty of space to comply with social distancing guidelines.
Guests will be allocated tables in our main dining rooms as usual, with each table to include up to a maximum of six guests. This will become their dining ‘bubble’.
For guests travelling as a group, we will do our best to accommodate them within one dining ‘bubble’, as long as their group is of six people or less.
If they are travelling on their own, they will also be allocated a ‘dining bubble’ of up to six
people, for the duration of their cruise.
Guests will be able to enjoy all meals with any or all of those within their bubble, whether
that be in fixed evening dining in our main restaurants, in our buffet restaurants or during
breakfast and lunch.
Guests do not have to dine as a full dining bubble for all meals, as long as they are not
dining with anyone outside of their bubble.
Our buffet restaurants will remain open across the fleet. All buffet dishes will be served by
our crew. Guests will only be able to dine with those in their household or their ‘dining bubble’ in our buffet restaurants.
While there are restrictions in place, we will only be offering fixed dining in our main dining rooms each evening, at set dining times.
The timings are currently 6.15pm and 8.30pm.
All guests who are travelling alone will be allocated a ‘dining bubble’ who they can choose to dine with for any or all of their meals. They will be able to enjoy all other onboard facilities within their dining bubble.
Our solo travellers will be welcome to enjoy any of our other onboard activities and facilities, which will be subject to the latest guidance from the government at the time of sailing.
To ensure that as many of our guests who wish to join our entertainment can do so, we will
be adding additional performances to our schedule, including matinee Performances.
met. Guests will be able to sit with members of their household, or with members of their
dining bubble.
We anticipate being able to open all of our onboard facilities, including our pools, gyms,
spas and shops, in line with government guidelines for similar facilities ashore.
We will, of course, adhere to the latest guidance from the UK government at the time of
sailing, which may mean we need to limit the number of guests using these facilities at any
one time.
All of our cabins aboard our fleet include tea and coffee making facilities, as well as in-cabin entertainment with television programmes, films and music on the TVs.
There will also be an extended menu for room service, for both food and drink, that can be
ordered throughout the day.
We will allow as much freedom in any of our ports of call that the destinations will allow.
We will, of course, adhere to the latest guidance from the destinations at the time of sailing
and will provide our guests with guidance on the local measures before they go ashore.
We know that exploring ashore is such a big part of a cruise holiday, which is why we will be offering a selection of bookable shore excursions for our sailings around the British Isles, in the destinations that we are able to do so.
We will send all guests a brochure of all of the available shore excursions around four weeks prior to their cruise setting sail, and they will be able to book these in advance of their cruise.
We will, of course, adhere to the latest guidance from the UK government at the time of
sailing.
We will send all guests a brochure of all of the available shore excursions around four weeks prior to their cruise setting sail, and they will be able to book these in advance of your cruise. This will include the latest protocols in the destinations that they are due to visit, and will arrive along with their luggage labels.
All guests will be provided with a wearable device at embarkation.
Should any guest test positive for coronavirus during a cruise, the medical team will be able to identify any other guests who may have come into contact with that person and they will be notified. If this comes to light after a guest has returned home, we will contact anyone who may have been in contact with them directly. To protect the privacy of all our guests, this information is only available to our medical team and not used for any other purposes than to protect the safety of our guests and crew.
If this does become a requirement, any guests who haven’t had both of their vaccines by the time they are due to sail will be able to have a refund or transfer their booking to another cruise in the future for once they have received their vaccines.
We are calling and speaking to our destination partners regularly, and will be closely
monitoring the situation in any destination that we are due to call into. If there is a local outbreak of coronavirus, or if we have any concerns about any of the destinations we are visiting we will alter the itinerary to ensure our guests have the best experience possible.
Yes, our Welcome Back sailings will only be available for UK residents in line with
government guidelines.
The new programme of ‘Welcome Back’ cruises announced this week only includes NEW
cruises which we have made available, to replace any that we have had to cancel. There are
some sailings aboard Borealis – for example the eight-night ‘Lochs & Legends of Scotland’
cruise – that will still go ahead as planned. As this is not a NEW cruise, it is not featured in
our new ‘Welcome Back’ schedule
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